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Helen Glover and Heather Stanning take world title for Britain in Amsterdam

Alex Lowe

August 30 2014, 5:09pm, The Times

Glover and Stanning celebrate after winning their finalPhil Nijhuis/AP

Great Britain’s two leading crews – the women’s pair and the men’s four - both won gold medals at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam today.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, the Olympic champions, took three seconds off the world’s best time, which had stood for 12 years, as they won a world title together for the first time. For Glover it was a third consecutive major triumph after she won gold with Stanning at London 2012 and with Polly Swann at last year’s World Championships.

It was a season of upheaval for the pair. Stanning had to rediscover her race fitness after returning to the squad from a tour of duty in Afghanistan while their coach, Robin Williams, fell gravely ill with bladder cancer.…